Friday, January 12, 2007

In the words of a great American,

I joined my wife outside the federal building downtown at noon today. She's a member of Border Peace Presence, a local group that demonstrates their displeasure of Bush's war in a number of ways. One of those ways is their Friday peace vigils.

Situated between federal, city, and county government buildings, their demonstrations are really centrally located and, should authorities become annoyed enough with them, it's only half a block's walk to the county jail.

I decided to join them today in reaction to Bush's arcane desire to initiate World War III he not so subtly hinted at in his speech to the nation Wednesday night. Judging from today's nice turnout at lunchtime downtown, many others were also inclined to display their displeasure.

So inspired by PTCruiser who does such thought provoking promotions along the freeways of the Bay Area, I found myself shortly after dawn this morning out on the patio painting a sign. I was very pleased at the reception it got downtown.

I don't make it to these demonstrations regularly and because of that I discerned much more support for the peace group's message than the last time I attended several months ago. Of the 11 percent still in support of Bush's war strategy, none of them were in downtown El Paso at noon today. It made for a very nice, almost festive, lunch hour.

3 comments:

D.K. Raed
said...

Dada!!! I'm so glad I checked back here before retiring because that picture makes me happy & it's always best to retire happy. I love the sign! But, what I really want to know is ... WHAT is holding the sign up? No, on second thought, don't tell. The signmaker must keep his secrets. Proprietary info, much like our prez's surge plan, should remain unrevealed.

And oh, I also want to know how you all rate sunny shorts weather when we had snow & never made it up to 40 degrees today? I think it means the sun-god is smiling on you bush protestors & frowning on his loyal base here. In fact, it kinda looks like the you were singing "Let the Sun Shine" from Hair. You know, the Age of Aquarius may finally be here!

THE BEGINNING IS NEAR

HUH?

You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, "Look at that, you son of a bitch."

— Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut, People magazine, 8 April 1974.

"Keep in mind that this planet is no model for rational thought, and that what passes for sanity here is sending chills down the spine of the remainder of the universe." E.T. 101

"An Empire’s power depends on its ability to control the cultural stories and language that shape our collective understanding of our world and our choices as a species. Empire stories induce a kind of cultural trance that conditions us to accept the dominator relations of Empire as just and righteous and to dismiss talk of alternatives as naïve, dangerous, or even sinful." ~ David Korten